Date: Fri 25-Apr-1997

Publication: Bee

Author: DOTTIE

Quick Words:

Woman's-Club-Anniversary

Full Text:

Newtown Women's Club Celebrates Past And Future

Lilleba Peterson (left) wears a Graffeldrakt black costume that her mother

once wore, and Doris Laird wears a Jordedrakt blue costume also owned by Ms

Peterson, to show the elaborate and intricate embroidery that decorates their

dresses, hats and hand bags. "Money can't buy these dresses," Ms Peterson

said, explaining that by tradition, they are passed on down through the family

and altered to fit each member that wears them. These costumes originated in

the Valley of Gudbrandsdal, near the city of Lillehammer, Norway.

-Bee Photos, Evans

Newtown Women's Club Officers who attended the international luncheon April 17

were Florence Storch (left), Education Committee; Mary Antey (second from

right), President; and Liz Meyer (right), International Affairs Committee.

Newtown High School senior Laura Marusa (second from left) was the featured

speaker.

Laura Marusa tells luncheon guests about her experiences as a Connecticut Hugh

O'Brian Foundation Leadership (HOBY) delegate and organizer.

Mrs Antey congratulates Laura at the conclusion of her talk.

B Y D OROTHY E VANS

Thursday noon, April 17, in the Trinity Church undercroft, the Newtown Women's

Club enjoyed an international potluck luncheon and celebrated the variety and

richness of their cultural heritage.

And if the women didn't own costumes from their families' homelands, they made

do - wearing at least a hat or a shawl or anything colorful with an

international flavor that took their fancy.

"I couldn't find much to represent Wales, but the long skirt and the hat give

you an idea. They weren't wealthy people like the English. They worked hard

and didn't go for dressing up very much," said Pat Straub, wearing a simple

white blouse and long dark skirt, with a black rimmed hat.

"The national vegetable was the leek," she added, describing the potato, ham

and leek hot dish that she'd brought to share.

100 Years Of Service

At the same time the Newtown women celebrated the past, they looked to the

future - immediate and long term.

In two weeks' time, said club president Mary Antey, the General Federation of

Women's Clubs (GFWC) of Connecticut would be marking a "most festive

occasion," May 2 and 3, with its Centennial Anniversary Days.

"The GFWC is the largest and oldest volunteer group for women in the entire

world," Mrs Antey said.

Then she read a proclamation from Newtown First Selectman Bob Cascella

congratulating the Newtown group for its longtime participation in the

statewide service organization.

Mrs Antey also unveiled the new club flag commemorating the upcoming 100th

anniversary event.

Another speaker, Phyllis Lloyd, told of her recent trip to the Galapagos

Islands.

HOBY Delegate Speaks

One way in which the Newtown Women's Club shows its concern for the future is

through its support for the Hugh O'Brian Youth Foundation (HOBY) which

sponsors leadership seminars for Connecticut high school students in their

sophomore year.

Laura Marusa, a Newtown High senior in the Class of 1997, spoke to the women

about her experience as a HOBY delegate in 1995 and her subsequent role

helping organize the yearly HOBY Community Leadership Experience Workshops.

"Most of you know Hugh O'Brian as Wyatt Earp [star of the 1950s television

Western], but I've never seen it," Laura said.

Yet she had benefited, she said, from Mr O'Brian's own leadership and

philanthropy through her experiences with HOBY, which he founded after

traveling to Africa and meeting Albert Schweitzer, a philosopher/musician and

humanitarian who influenced him greatly.

"I have made some of the best friends, and I have been motivated to give my

all to my community, to HOBY and to the world," Laura said.

She thanked the club for giving her that chance, saying that "through the

generosity of the community, the ripple effect" - the passing on of the HOBY

vision - is ensured.